Inside Health

Marine Charged In Firing Shotgun Pleads Not Guilty

Published: August 16, 2005

A Marine accused of firing a shotgun at a crowd of clubgoers pleaded not guilty on Monday to attempted murder and other charges and was ordered to be evaluated at a state psychiatric hospital.

The man, Daniel Cotnoir, was named Marine of the Year last month by Marine Corps Times for his service as a military mortician in Iraq. A mortician by trade, Mr. Cotnoir prepared the bodies of American soldiers for burial, and he said that the job took a heavy toll on him psychologically.

Police said he pointed a 12-gauge shotgun out the window of his second-floor apartment and fired a shot at people leaving nearby nightclubs early Saturday. Two people were treated at hospitals for leg wounds and released.

Mr. Cotnoir, 33, who has two daughters, told the police that he feared for the safety of his family after someone threw an empty juice bottle through his bedroom window.

Mr. Cotnoir, now a reservist, was charged with two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and one count of discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.

He met on Monday with a court-appointed psychologist, and Judge Thomas Brennan ordered him to be evaluated at a state hospital. Another hearing was set for Sept. 2.